The present inventions relate to messaging systems, and particularly, relate to embodiments that present a sender of message with an announcement of a name or other information related to the recipient.
Telecommunications systems allow people to directly communicate over the telephone or other communication devices. Messaging systems have added features to telecommunications systems to allow people to also indirectly communicate in different ways. A common way for a person to indirectly communicate with another person is by xe2x80x9crollover messagingxe2x80x9d, which is also commonly referred to as xe2x80x9ctelephone answering messagingxe2x80x9d. In rollover messaging, a person calls another person, who fails to answer the call, and the calling person is transferred to a voicemail system to leave the other person a message that is referred to as a xe2x80x9crollover messagexe2x80x9d. A rollover message generally is a voicemail message left on a messaging system if the called person fails to answer a call. The person leaving the message is referred to as the xe2x80x9ccallerxe2x80x9d, and the person for whom the message is intended is referred to as the xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d.
Rollover messaging generally includes a voicemail announcement feature that is provided when a caller reaches a recipient""s messaging system to leave a rollover message. The voicemail announcement may be the enunciation of the person""s name associated with the number dialed, or other information related to the recipient. For example, a caller leaving a rollover message may be greeted with a voicemail announcement such as: xe2x80x9cYou have reached the voice mailbox of Carl Bedingfield. Please leave a message.xe2x80x9d Alternatively, the caller may simply be presented with the recipient""s name such as: xe2x80x9cNavneet Patel.xe2x80x9d The voicemail announcement typically is in the form of a speech file recorded by or for the recipient.
Advantageously, the voicemail announcement is made by the recipient""s system and received by the caller on an almost universal basis. Whether the recipient is using a network rollover service, an answering machine, or other device, the caller is provided with and hears the voicemail announcement typically whatever the type, model, age, brand, or manufacturer of communications device the caller is using. The caller generally hears the voicemail announcement whether he or she is using a local service provider for a local call or is calling over a long distance through a long distance carrier. Rollover messaging assures the recipient that rollover calls to the recipient""s number are almost always provided with a voicemail announcement. As a result of this assurance, rollover messaging and the voicemail announcement feature have been well received by subscribers in their roles as recipients of voicemail messages.
Callers, who receive the voicemail announcement as part of rollover messaging, also have positively reacted to rollover messaging. The voicemail announcement feature has been well received because in one aspect the voicemail announcement functions as a confirmation or an alarm to the caller, who is about to leave a rollover message. The voicemail announcement serves as a confirmation when the caller hears the name of his or her intended recipient in the voicemail announcement. The voicemail announcement serves as an alarm when the caller does not hear the name of his or her intended recipient in the voicemail announcement.
Rollover messaging, however, is not the only indirect way of communicating through the use of messaging systems. Another way of indirectly communicating is by sending a message to another person""s messaging system. This manner of indirect communication differs from rollover messaging in that the person sending the message does not try initially to call the recipient. Rather, the person just sends a message. Hence, this manner of indirect communication is referred to simply as xe2x80x9cmessagingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmessaging servicexe2x80x9d. The person sending the message is referred to as the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d, and the person receiving the message is referred to as the xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d. The message may be a voicemail message or other type of message. The recipient may reply with a voicemail or other message, or the recipient may forward the message to others.
Messaging service differs from rollover messaging in at least another respect. Few messaging systems provide a feature such as or similar to the voicemail announcement feature used in rollover messaging to senders using a messaging service. A reason that an announcement feature is not typically provided to a message sender is that unlike in rollover messaging, the differences between the respective messaging systems or platforms of the sender and the recipient typically do not allow for such an announcement feature. The differences prevent the respective messaging systems or platforms from communicating to provide the announcement feature. The differences may exist as a result of a sender using a first type, model, or brand of messaging system or platform, and the recipient using a different type, model, or brand of messaging system or platform. The differences also may exist as a result of differences between the respective systems or platforms (or even other elements of same) in the use of protocols (types, versions), encoded information, programming, configuration, etc.
Generally, the messaging systems that provide a feature such as or similar to the voicemail announcement feature to senders using a messaging service provide such a feature only in limited circumstances. One such limited circumstance occurs when the sender of a message and a recipient are served by the same messaging platform. When a sender and a recipient are served by the same messaging platform, there are few if any issues related to differences that would prevent implementation of the announcement feature.
Another limited circumstance when an announcement feature is available in a messaging service occurs when the sender of a message and a recipient are served by the same messaging system that provides generally the same messaging services to the sender and the recipient. When a sender and a recipient are served by the same messaging system, then the messaging system may take action to eliminate or at least minimize any differences between the messaging services provided to the sender and the recipient. With the elimination of the differences, the announcement feature may then be provided to subscribers.
Except in the limited circumstances pointed out above, the differences in messaging systems or platforms generally preclude the provision of an announcement feature to a sender with respect to a message to be sent to a recipient. The respective systems or platforms are generally unable to communicate so as to exchange the information necessary to provide the announcement feature. Thus, there generally is no way for a messaging system to obtain information about a recipient to provide an announcement to the senderxe2x80x94at least until after the message has been sent. But an announcement provided after the message has been sent does not offer the same advantages of an announcement that is provided prior to the message being sent.
By failing to provide the sender with an announcement as to the recipient""s identity when a sender sends a message to a recipient, the sender is deprived of the benefit of a confirmation that his or her message will be made available to the intended recipient. The sender also is deprived of the benefit of the alarm provided when the announcement conveys information other than what the sender expects. Without the announcement, the sender then has the choice of sending a message without confirmation that his or her message will reach the intended recipient, or of communicating with the intended recipient by other means.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method or system for use in connection with messaging systems that generally would allow messaging services to provide senders with announcements or other information regarding the recipients of messages even in the circumstances when the respective messaging systems or platforms include differences such as differences of type, brand, model, or other differences.
The present inventions generally relate to methods and systems that present a sender an identity or other information associated with the number or mailbox provided by the sender when the sender uses messaging in a messaging system to transmit a message to a recipient.
Advantageously, the embodiments of the present inventions implement the spoken name announcement feature for use in messaging between messaging platforms that may use different protocols or encoding techniques for spoken name data or other information. For example, exemplary embodiments use a standardized protocol such as the lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) and/or operate in a transmission control protocol network/internet protocol (TCP/IP) network. With the implementation of the spoken name announcement feature, the sender is accorded the benefit of a confirmation that his or her message will be made available to the recipient intended by the sender. The sender also is accorded the benefit of the alarm provided when the spoken name announcement conveys information unrelated to the intended recipient.
An exemplary embodiment includes a messaging system serving a sender. When the sender desires to send a message to a recipient, the sender may contact a messaging platform and indicate a desire to send a message. (To send a message may include to reply to a message or to forward a message.) The sender dials or otherwise inputs the number or other information associated with the recipient. The messaging platform may use a standardized protocol such as LDAP to transmit a query to obtain profile data related to the number provided by the sender. By being related to the number dialed by the sender, the profile data corresponds to the recipient. The messaging platform may use LDAP to transmit the query via a TCP/IP network. The query also may contain an encoding attribute that identifies the voice encoding format of the spoken name data preferred by the messaging platform. If necessary, in addition, the query may contain one or more other attributes that identify the preferred format or configuration of other elements so that the spoken name data may be provided by the messaging platform to the sender.
A directory receives the query from the messaging platform. The directory generally stores profile data corresponding to subscribers who are served by the messaging system. In general, the profile data includes an identification such as a domain name (or other address such as a point code) of the messaging platform serving the recipient, if the recipient is a subscriber of the messaging system. The directory uses LDAP to respond to the query from the messaging platform with a response including the profile data. The profile data may or may not include the spoken name data related to the recipient of the message. The directory may use LDAP to transmit the response via a TCP/IP network.
In an exemplary embodiment, prior to transmitting the response to the messaging platform, the directory may take further action if the profile data does not include the spoken name data. The directory may obtain the spoken name data from the messaging platform serving the recipient. The directory may obtain the spoken name data by using a standardized protocol such as by engaging in an LDAP query/response exchange via a TCP/IP network. Once the spoken name data has been obtained, then the directory may include the spoken name data in the response to the messaging platform serving the sender.
If the profile data or other information received from the directory includes the spoken name data, then the messaging platform serving the sender uses that spoken name data to announce a spoken name to the sender. This announcement is confirmation the message will be made available to the recipient intended by the sender.
If the profile data fails to include the spoken name data, then the messaging platform may use the information provided in the profile data to obtain the spoken name data. The messaging platform serving the sender may use a standardized protocol such as LDAP and the identification of the messaging platform serving the recipient to transmit a query to obtain the spoken name data from the messaging platform serving the recipient. The messaging platform serving the sender may transmit the query via a TCP/IP network. The query also may contain an encoding and/or other attribute that identifies the voice encoding format and/or other information or element of the spoken name data preferred by the messaging platform.
In response to the query from the messaging platform serving the sender, the messaging platform serving the recipient then may use LDAP to respond to the query with a response including the spoken name data. If appropriate, prior to inclusion of the spoken name data in the response to the query, the messaging platform serving the recipient may convert the spoken name data and/or other information or elements to the format or configuration preferred by the messaging platform serving the sender. Alternatively, the messaging platform serving the recipient may provide information in the response as to the encoding format and/or other configuration of the data or information in the response.
The messaging platform serving the recipient may transmit the response via a TCP/IP network. After receiving the response from the messaging platform serving the recipient, the messaging platform serving the sender uses the spoken name data to announce a spoken name (or other information) to the sender. The announcement is confirmation the message will be made available to the intended recipient. As noted, the response may include information as to the encoding and/or other configuration of the spoken name data and/or other information or elements. This information may be used by the messaging platform serving the sender to convert, configure, or otherwise change the spoken name data and/or other information received from the messaging paltform serving the recipient so that the messaging platform serving the sender may provide the spoken name data in an announcement to the sender.
The spoken name announcement feature may be used in similar fashion in other aspects of a messaging system. For example, a subscriber may receive a message from another subscriber. The subscriber who received the message may desire to reply to the message. In the course of preparation of a reply message, the replying subscriber may use the spoken name announcement feature to refresh or confirm his or her recollection as to the identity or other information associated with the subscriber who left the message.
Alternatively, the subscriber who received the message may not desire to send a reply, but simply may desire additional information regarding the message. Such additional information typically is provided in the form of envelope information, which provides information about the message such as the time of its receipt, its length, etc. The subscriber who received the message may use the spoken name announcement feature to obtain data or additional information with respect to the envelope information regarding the received message. For example, the envelope information may lack the name of the person who sent the message. The recipient may implement the spoken name announcement feature to obtain the name or other identity information with respect to the sender.
Whether the subscriber who received the message uses the spoken name announcement feature with respect to a reply message or to envelope information, the actions to obtain the spoken name data for the announcement are generally carried out in the same manner as described above in connection with a sender using messaging to send a message to a recipient.
In sum, the embodiments of the present inventions provide a sender who is preparing or sending a message to a recipient, with information relating to the recipient, such as the recipient""s name. Advantageously, the recipient""s name or other information may be announced or otherwise presented to the sender and such presentation may be made to the sender prior to the message being sent to the recipient.